


Responsibilities

by haddocksortails



Series: Hiccstrid Variations [1]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:13:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21976405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haddocksortails/pseuds/haddocksortails
Summary: Keywords: Post-HTTYD2 Hiccstrid
Relationships: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III & Astrid Hofferson, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III/Astrid Hofferson
Series: Hiccstrid Variations [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1581925
Comments: 11
Kudos: 35





	1. Chapter 1

She's been avoiding him – it was quite obvious after only two days.

It's not that they had much time for each other; the renovations after Drago's attack still required a lot of effort from Hiccup, not to mention the growing number of duties (both serious and trifling) he had to perform as the new chief. As for Astrid, she had her own demanding responsibilities. She was both in charge of the Dragon Academy and the Guard and dealing with the new trainees and the veterans was definitely no picnic on the Itchy Armpit.

Despite all the hardships, they managed to steal a couple of moments every day for themselves, making sure that the other isn't collapsing under the unwanted burdens while sharing some much-needed terms of endearment.

But on Thor's Day she disappeared and had been absent from his life ever since. He knew it didn't mean good.

At least, it was easy to find her; he spotted her at the Cove from the air. She was standing in the middle of a clearing with her trustworthy ax in hand, engaged in a killing spree against the surrounding vegetation.

He landed a few feet away from her, got off from the back of his dragon and sat on a flat rock that was big enough for both of them. He patiently waited for her while she finished murdering the trees. She only swung the ax a couple more times, then let out an annoyed grunt and dropped it on the ground. She walked to the rock and quietly sat next to him.

Hiccup took Astrid's hand and examined her palm. The handle of her ax drew deep red stripes on her skin. It must have been quite hurtful, so he lifted her hand and placed a considerate little kiss on it.

"What's wrong?" He asked, sounding worried.

"Nothing," she answered quickly. " _Everything_ ," she admitted a mere second later.

"Want to talk about it?"

There was a moment of silence, but then she nodded. "Yes, we need to talk, Hiccup."

He quirked an eyebrow. He knew that girls behaved enigmatically from time to time, but not his Astrid, she was always so straightforward, so self-assured.

"You know I have those monthly cramps..." She started then paused. His eyes widened. Of course, he knew about the thing that happened to the ladies every month, but he wasn't really an expert on the topic, it wasn't something they had an in-depth discussion about. But he knew that sometimes her stomach was hurting for a few hours and it must have been really bad because even though she had a high tolerance for pain, she didn't take it well.

He gently brought her to his chest and placed a kiss on the top of her head. "I'm sorry, Astrid," he whispered into her damp, but strawberry-scented hair.

She pulled back and shook her head. "It's not that. I _don't_ have the cramps."

He was puzzled. "But... that's good news, isn't it?"

She shook her head again and her voice dropped an octave. "No. It's actually very bad news."

Huh. That sounded crazy. Complaining about the lack of pain? Was that another Viking thing he couldn't relate to? Hiccup was overly confused, especially when he noticed she was on the verge of crying. "Astrid, I'm sorry, but I don't get it..."

She sought shelter in his arms. Her sudden move surprised him, but he soon held her tight, instinctively knowing what she wanted him to do. Only then, when she felt safe and warm, did she start to talk.

"I'm pregnant," she said simply, letting the information sink in. He was silent at first; his warm hands were caressing her back, bringing her closer to his chest. It was hard to react. It was difficult to say anything, to find the right words, to ask a good question…

"Well, I've always wanted to have a family with you," he said earnestly.

"We could have waited a couple more years..."

He lifted his hands and gently cupped her face. "Freya had different plans for us..."

She scrunched her nose. "Don't you dare to mention the goddess of sex and fertility, Haddock. She symbolizes all the reasons why you and I are in trouble."

He leaned down to place a tiny encouraging peck on her mouth. She kissed him back. He deepened the kiss... 

Astrid blushed when they parted. "That was exactly what got us into this mess..."

He shrugged. "I know. I mean, I guess, I was there when it happened..."

Her sharp fist landed on his arm exactly on that spot, which hurt the most. He grimaced in pain but did not complain.

"Of course you were there, you idiot! I can't make a baby by myself."

"Yeah, okay, sorry..." He was thinking for a minute before asking the next question, debating whether it was worth another well-placed hit. "Do you know when it happened? I thought we...were careful..."

Even though, he expected it, this time no fists came landing on his tender muscles. "Yeah, I do know it," she whispered.

He curiously raised an eyebrow while she continued her quiet speech. "You remember the night your father died? I came to comfort you and..."

It was almost 6 weeks past the fateful day, but Hiccup's eyes filled with tears immediately. Yes, he did remember her crawling next to him. He remembered how lost and lonely he felt and how thankful he was when she offered him comfort.

They cuddled for a while and it was nice and he felt less vulnerable and although he never even thought of making love to her, they somehow stroked off the clothes of each other.

He never opened his eyes. It was very unusual, he really liked looking at her while being intimate, but this was different... He just wanted to know, to feel that he was not alone.

He remembered how soft and warm her flesh felt under his cold fingertips, how she told him she loved him, and how her mere presence was enough to calm his wretched soul for a few blissful moments.

He didn't remember how he found his way inside her, but he did remember connecting with her, feeling her hot breathes on his neck, while she was quietly moaning under his weight. He did remember how tight he held her - in hindsight it couldn't have been comfortable, but she never complained.

He remembered how he poured into her and suddenly lost all his strength, making him collapse on top of her. The rest of the night was vague; he probably lost consciousness or just unceremoniously fell asleep.

He looked at her worried face now, she must have thought that she had opened the hardly healing wound he had since his greatest loss, but knowing that their child was conceived on the day he had lost his father was oddly felt like a much-needed relief, he never hoped for.

"It was a bit of turmoil that day and I-I forgot about that fricking tea and..." she was blushing and stuttering, trying to find an excuse, but Hiccup didn't think she needed one.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm definitely not angry with you, I was the one who forgot to...you know. If I could, I would kick my own ass for not being as responsible as I should have been, but..."

She cut her off. "Wait a minute... You are not going to blame yourself for it, right? Because I don't think it's your fault."

He shook his head. "I don't blame myself for the one time... I'm mad at myself in general. I should have respected your virtue, wait with everything until after we are married."

The more she heard the more she became astonished. "You think sleeping with me was a mistake from day one?"

"Oh, gods, no! That's not how I meant it... I like sleeping with you. No, I love sleeping with you..." He cupped her face and placed a very loud kiss on her rosy lips to give more emphasis to his words. "No, Astrid, I love everything about you, and part of this everything is that you are so awfully pretty and there is hardly a moment when I don't think about how much I love being intimate with you, but... I think I was too selfish. Had I had a little self-control or discipline, I wouldn't have gotten you into this trouble."

She smiled, it was weird, and he didn't understand it. "Oh, come on, Haddock, it was my decision and my decision only."

Now he seemed confused, but she quickly continued. "I wanted to have that connection with you. I craved to have the physical part of the relationship that everyone seemed to be so excited about. And... I don't know about other people, but for me, being together with you is when the world becomes an unbreakable, undefeatable whole. It means a lot more to me than fulfilling some indecent urges – which is also a good, nay, a great thing – but more importantly, it is about connecting with you on a level that I have never even dreamed of before we had experienced it. Remember how I hurt Snotlout every time he got an inch too close to me? I never did that to you, because I've always loved when you were near me. And as we grew older, that distance between us shrank, until there wasn't enough space between us to fit in a blade of grass or a gasp of air..."

His eyes got teary again. She rarely discussed her feelings with him, not because they weren't there, but it seemed unimportant to talk about them when she had other ways to show her affection. Like now, as she leaned closer to him, pressing her chest to his, searching for his mouth with her swollen lips. They could not resist each other and they didn't want to.

His hands ran up her sides while she grabbed two handfuls of messy, russet hair. She bit his lower lip, it was a bit unfair, because she knew it drove him crazy every time she did it. In response, he started kneading her breasts, making her moan into their kiss, but his fingers soon stopped their delicate work. He broke their kiss and pulled away.

His confusion painted his cheeks pink. "Am-am I allowed to do that?" He mumbled sheepishly.

She raised an eyebrow, she didn't quite get it, the damage was already done… Eh, probably not the best choice of words, but they were not risking anything anymore.

"I mean, is it okay to _touch_ someone who is pregnant? Or you know, to do this or that with her..."

She shrugged, she had absolutely no idea about the whole thing in general.

He leaned further away and ran his hand through his disheveled hair. "Eh, my father had the talk with me, but he didn't mention the rules for pregnant sex. I guess it didn't occur to him as a possibility since I was only fourteen…"

She looked at him with eyes wide open, then she suddenly laughed up. "Oh, gods, Hiccup, your father had the talk with you? Why didn't you sneak away like you always did in every uncomfortable situation?"

"Eh, I had no choice. I think he saw you kiss me on Snoggletog when Toothless was missing, so he thought it was time to privately embarrass me. A couple of days later he came up to my room, stood in the doorway and took my prosthetic. There was no way out."

She giggled. "Wish I had been a fly on that wall."

"Oh come on, you wish to have heard my father say 'lady parts' and 'carefully insert'?"

She considered it for a moment then shook her head.

"Trust me; it was the worst morning of my life."

"I have to admit, he had taught you well," she said with a devilish smile and a sultry glance. He hesitated for a second because she was so beautiful and tempting, but then something suddenly hit him. There was one thing his father said during that awkward early morning conversation that he couldn't really make heads or tails of back then but is crystal clear now.

"Listen, Astrid… I have to take responsibility for my actions."

Her seducing lips turned into an O of surprise. "What do you mean by that?"

He sighed hard. "I need to talk to your father. Pronto."

She was quiet. Yeah. They have to talk to their parents, it hasn't occurred to her until he mentioned it. Now, her mom, Hildy isn't a problem, and Valka simply _cannot be_ a problem, but her father, Einar, well, he is a whole other story…

She pressed her lips together, trying to come up with an idea.

"Can't we flee?" She asked with hopeful eyes.

Hiccup looked at her and shook his head amusedly. "I don't think it's an option. I'm the chief of this tribe, you know."

"Yeah, right..." She tried to think harder, her father is really not the person to mess with. He is not a bad person or a terrible father, quite the opposite, but he has a temper.

She still remembered how he reacted after he learned that she had a boyfriend… There was some screaming at the forge the next day and Einar Hofferson threatened Hiccup with making some alterations to the lower part of his body with his carving knife if he… well, even thought of _dishonoring_ her daughter.

"Okay, what if we simply kept it a secret?" Gods, she had the lamest ideas, but anything felt like a more pleasant option than facing her father.

"And tell him that your belly grew because you have a new-found crush on ale?"

"Oh, shit…" Another thing that didn't occur to her, the physical changes…

He took her right hand gently, lifted it to his mouth and left a few encouraging pecks on her fingertips.

"Astrid, it will be fine."

She shook her head; knowing her father, it _cannot be fine_.

He pulled her close and kissed her again, before making a confession.

"Babe, the only thing I remember clearly from that awful father-son sex talk is that my dad made me promise that no matter what I would always take responsibility."

She sighed and nodded, he was right. Stoick was right. She was a chicken… this pregnancy clearly didn't do her good…

"Wish me luck," he asked her before he stood up.


	2. Chapter 2

Valka gently pets the back of the little Terrible Terror that's slumbering in her lap. It was injured a few days ago and ever since she treated its wounds it won't leave her sight. Valka doesn't mind it, at least she has some company until she waits for her son to wake up.

He is lying in his bed in front of her, unconsciously. The black eye he got from Einar Hofferson is already getting darker. No one was there when it happened and Valka can think of only one reason which could make the burly man mad enough to lose his mind and attack his chief: his daughter, Astrid Hofferson.

She pets the little one again, trying not to be impatient, but she wants her son to wake up now. It's not that she is curious about the exact nature of their disagreement, the years she had spent away from human gossips and secrets made her fairly oblivious, she just wants to know if Hiccup is alright. She is rooting for a mild concussion instead of some fractured bones, but Einar's fist is bigger than a kid's head and is likely forged from iron...

Finally, the young chief lets out a muffled groan and moves a little. His mom is curiously watching him. Then he suddenly opens his eyes. Or rather, he opens one and the other is too swollen to be fully open. The little dragon jumps off from Valka's lap when she emerges from her chair to take a closer look at her son. Hiccup slowly lifts his hand, touches his black eye and hisses, because it's painfully sensitive. Then everything that had happened before the inglorious KO suddenly comes back to him, because he sits up surprisingly fast, and Astrid's name falls off his lips in a worried tone.

His mother lets out a joyful little chuckle, not because she is entertained, but because she is relieved that apart from the temporary eye injury, the young man seems fine.

"Easy, son," she comforts him and puts a warm hand on his arm. "She is alright. It's you I'm worried about a little... "

Hiccup clears his dry throat and his mother quickly reaches out and hands him some water from the nightstand next to his bed.

"I did something very irresponsible," he admits a few big gulps later with a heavy heart, "and Einar isn't happy about it. To say the least."

Valka leans back on her chair and observes his contorted face and she knows the frown isn't caused by the pain, but the reason behind the savage attack. She can't say she knows her son very well, after all, the 20 years apart took its tolls, but she is sure about two things: the young chief is the very opposite of irresponsible and Astrid Hofferson is the most important being in his life. But she also knows that they are madly in love and love can ignite reckless behavior, no matter how level-headed they both seem.

"I don't want to be nosey'..." she starts discreetly, but Hiccup quickly interrupts her. "You don't have to be. I mean I... we have to share it with you... well, with _everyone_..."

She takes a long look at his face. He is pale and the black eye seems sore. An awkward silence starts to grow between them but Valka doesn't let it unfold.

"Are you getting married?" She asks quietly.

His son stares at her for a hard moment then nods silently.

"Fast?"

He waits for a few seconds then nods again. They haven't discussed it yet with Astrid, but he doesn't think that's up for debate and that was the reason why he wanted to talk to her father. To admit his terrible deed and to negotiate the future. He knew that Einar wouldn't take it well but he was more than ready to face the consequences. He only said one sentence to him, that he wanted to marry his daughter as soon as possible, and of course, Astrid's father was no fool, he understood the situation in a blink of an eye and he immediately dropped the sack of flour he was holding and swung his fist. The last thing Hiccup remembered how the white powder started to run out from the torn sack, then everything became dark.

"So I'm guessing..." Starts Valka again, but he interrupts her with a strong 'yes'.

"You are going to be a grandma," he adds and blushes.

"Oh," his mother answers with only one syllable first, and Hiccup almost starts to apologize to her, but suddenly a wide smile lights up his mother's soft face.

"That's wonderful we news son!" She unexpectedly exclaims hands touching in a way as if she wanted to clap. "I'm really happy for you."

"You are?" Asks the young chief back with faint disbelief in his tone. "But we are not married, and we... _I_ shouldn't have..."

Valka shakes her head. It is strange for Hiccup because he is fairly sure that he had done a terrible, selfish, outrageous thing and Einar had every right to be angry, but still, his mother genuinely seems happy instead of shocked or exasperated and he doesn't get it. He wonders if all those years she had spent among the dragons made her less sensitive about the Berkian norms and customs.

"I'm not _proud_ of you, Hiccup," she adds quickly, "but I know how much you love each other."

"I was very disrespectful," he says firmly, "I deserve all the punishment. Astrid should never have let me go near her..."

His mother still smiles kindly. "Son. Vikings are not just hot-headed, but hot-blooded people as well. You'd be surprised what they do behind carefully shut doors. It's not unusual to become lovers before tying the knot... why would you be an exception? From what I have seen, your relationship is as stable and passionate as it can be. "

Hiccup's face reddens with embarrassment again. It's really kind of his mother that she tries to make him feel less guilty about the whole shameful situation, but he is the chief he should set an example, not ruin the reputation of the one who is the dearest to his heart... He should have been stronger. He knows that they were equals and partners in it, like with everything else, he knows that intimacy is of high importance for both of them, but still, he should have been stronger. Problem is, that Astrid makes him weak... Problem is, that she not only stimulates his brain but...

His thoughts are interrupted by his mother again. "Einar will come around, my dear," she says and he answers with a nervous chuckle. Valka makes eye contact with her son and gives a firm nod. "He will. It's been a while, but I'm sure he still remembers how hard it was both for me and Hildy to conceive."

Hiccup gives his mother a curious look. He doesn't know much about his own birth, apart from being a very small and fragile baby.

"Well, son, women are willing to do much to avoid babies and even more to have them. Yes, it took us a few years, a ton of herbs and an ocean of tears until we both fell pregnant only a few weeks apart. Who would have guessed that our tiny miracle babies would grow up to be the perfect match for each other?"

Valka's warm-hearted confession doesn't make it any easier for Hiccup, but at least it's an explanation to her positive reaction to the otherwise not so pleasant situation.

"I didn't know that. Dad never mentioned it to me," he admits quietly.

"Well, trust me, son, both the Haddocks and the Hoffersons know how precious a baby is... And believe me, the tribe won't care about the circumstances, they will cherish their new heir with a happy heart and won't care about a rushed wedding. They are Vikings, they like to celebrate, to dance, to drink, no matter what the occasion is."

He knew his mother was right. Even though no one has ever caught them in any compromising situation, but their fellow tribesmen and tribeswomen witnessed their relationship from day one and after a couple of pints, they were more than ready to tease their chief and his betrothed about their supposed mischiefs. Not a single soul will be stunned when the cat will be out of the bag. Apart from poor, innocent Fishlegs, probably, who still believes that love means sharing poetry with the object of your desire. And yes, an heir, even if it's not yet bigger than a pea, means safety for the tribe...

These thoughts were comforting to a certain extent, but on a more personal level, in the back of his mind, dreaded doubts were starting to stem about being first a husband then shortly after that a father. What if he...?

"You won't mess anything up," said Valka lightly before he had the chance to spiral about his potential inabilities, "Astrid and you are already practically a family, you won't need to get used to each other, you are way past that."

"I know," he agreed. He truly felt that he would be immediately ready to share his house, his room, his bed with her and he hoped she felt the same way.

"At least, she won't have to crawl out from your window every other day...It wouldn't be too comfortable with a huge belly." Valka added with a cheeky wink. Hiccup let out an awkward moan, he hates that his private life is so transparent, for years they thought they were the sneakiest Vikings. Apparently, they were not.

"Well, thanks for the pep talk, mom, it really did help."

Valka leaned closer and carefully hugged him. "No problem, son, I've just told you how I felt. And what I experienced."

"I think, I should try to talk to Einar again," he concluded, "where is he, anyway?"

"Oh, Snotlout arrested him."

"What?!"

"He claimed that assaulting the chief deserves capital punishment according to tribal law, so he locked him in one of the dragon pens in the Arena."

"For the love of Thor..." Hiccup grunted when he crawled out of his bed as fast as his dizziness had let him, "I think I better get going before he beheads my future father-in-law..."


End file.
